Live blog: Israeli army used Palestinian kids as shields — Rights group

Sunday, May 12, 2024

2000 GMT — A Geneva-based rights group has said that Israeli forces used three Palestinian children as "human shields" during their raid on the Tulkarm refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on May 5 and 6.

Defense for Children International documented testimonies from three children who described similar conditions and assaults while serving as "human shields" by the Israeli forces.

The statement explained that “the soldiers forced them to walk in front of them in the buildings and alleys of the camp, searched homes, and demanded that residents evacuate. In two cases, the soldiers put their rifles on the shoulders of two children and fired shots.”

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2042 GMT — Geneva Uni students support Palestine despite warnings

Geneva University students in Switzerland have continued to support Palestine since May 7, despite the university rectorate's warning to "evacuate the campus."

Students continued their protests, with hundreds of people outside the campus demonstrating their support for Palestinians, and the number of supporters on the streets grew.

Students without their identity cards are denied access to campus by university security personnel.

Europe has become the new centre of student demonstrations in support of Palestine, which started at Columbia University in the US in mid-April.

More than 2,500 people have been detained so far in protests in which the police intervened at the request of the administrations at many universities in the US.

1955 GMT — Blinken: Israel offensive on Rafah would not eliminate Hamas

An all-out Israeli offensive on the Gaza city of Rafah would provoke "anarchy" without eliminating Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Separately, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasised Washington's concerns about an offensive in a call with his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi.

"Mr. Sullivan reiterated President Biden's longstanding concerns over the potential for a major military ground operation into Rafah, where over one million people have taken shelter," a White House readout of the phone call said.

1930 GMT — Israel opens new border crossing into northern Gaza

Israel's military has said it had opened a new border crossing into northern Gaza as aid agencies warned that barely any aid was reaching residents of the territory.

"In accordance with the directive of the government of Israel and in coordination with the US government, the 'Western Erez' crossing was opened," the military said in a statement.

1800 GMT — Turkish President Erdogan lauds Hamas's peace efforts, condemns Israeli army attacks on Rafah

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lauded Hamas's step towards a lasting peace agreement, criticising the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for attacks on civilians in Rafah, in southern Gaza.

"Hamas has taken a truly critical step towards a permanent ceasefire. The response of the Netanyahu administration, however, was to attack the innocents in Rafah," said Erdogan during his speech at the World Muslim Scholars Consultation Summit in Istanbul.

"We have seen that those who call themselves as a 'land of freedom' suddenly have diverted to fascism when Israel's interests are at stake," he added, criticizing Israel for its ongoing expansion "through occupation and oppression," which has resulted in the loss of "innocent" lives in the enclave.

1724 GMT — Hezbollah claims missile attack on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon

Lebanese group Hezbollah said that it had targeted with missiles Israeli military forces in southern Lebanon.

In a statement, Hezbollah said a missile attack targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Zebdine site and surveillance and technical equipment in the Hounin barracks in the occupied Shebaa Farms. There were no reports yet of casualties or damage.

1658 GMT — Hamas hails Egypt for joining genocide case against Israel at top UN court

Palestinian group Hamas hailed Egypt's decision to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its deadly war on Gaza.

In a statement, Hamas praised Egypt's condemnation of the Israeli "crimes" in Gaza and called on all Arab and Muslim countries "to take similar steps in support of the Palestinian cause by joining the lawsuit" against Israel.

It also urged all countries "to sever relations with the (Israeli) occupation, isolate it internationally, and seek to bring its leaders to accountability over their systematic crimes against children and people in the Gaza Strip."

1616 GMT — Israel lacks 'credible plan' to protect Rafah civilians: Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said Israel lacks a "credible plan" to protect some 1.4 million Palestinian civilians in Rafah and warns that an Israeli attack could create an insurgency in the southern Gaza city.

"Israel is on a trajectory potentially to inherit an insurgency with many armed Hamas fighters left or if it leaves a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy and probably refilled by Hamas," Blinken said on NBC's Meet the Press.

Hamas, he said, is returning to northern Gaza areas that Israel claimed to have cleared, and an assault on Rafah "risks doing terrible harm to civilians" without ending the Hamas presence there.

1613 GMT — CENTCOM, Israeli army chiefs discuss military cooperation as onslaught continues on Palestinians in Gaza

US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Michael Erik Kurilla met with Israeli Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi over the weekend.

"The commanders held an operational situational assessment and discussed operational developments, including the strengthening of the coordination and cooperation between the militaries," the Israeli army said in a statement.

The two commanders met amid the Israeli army's ongoing assault on Gaza, with the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave stating that the Palestinian death toll from the ongoing offensive has risen to 35,034 since last October.

1555 GMT — Hamas slams Biden for linking Gaza ceasefire to hostage release

Hamas criticised US President Joe Biden for linking a Gaza ceasefire to the release of Israelis held captive by the Palestinian group.

This position "is a regression from the results of the last round of negotiations, which led to our approval of a proposal drawn by mediators in Egypt and Qatar, with the US knowledge," Hamas said in a statement.

Hamas said it has shown flexibility during all rounds of negotiations to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

"Biden's position once again confirms the US bias towards the criminal policy" pursued by Israel and shows "its continued political cover and military support for the genocide waged against our people," Hamas said.

1520 GMT — Fatalities as Israeli jets hit houses in Gaza City

Several people were killed and injured in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, according to witnesses.

The strikes targeted two houses in the Zaitoun neighborhood, the witnesses said.

Damage was reported to several nearby buildings in the area.

The Palestinian Health Ministry has yet to issue an exact death toll from the attack.

1256 GMT — Claim of safe zones in Gaza 'false and misleading': UNRWA chief

Commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) has expressed concern over the persistent displacement of Palestinians from their homes, suggesting there are no safe zones in Gaza.

"The Israeli authorities continue to issue forced displacement orders also known as 'evacuation orders'. This is forcing people in Rafah to flee anywhere and everywhere," Philippe Lazzarini said on X.

He said that since war began last October, most people in Gaza have moved multiple times, and "desperately sought safety that they never found."

"The claim of 'safe zones' is false and misleading. No place is safe in Gaza. Period," he added.

1150 GMT — UK rejects calls to halt arms sales to Israel amid Rafah military offensive

The UK government rebuffed calls to follow the US lead in halting some arms sales to Israel if it proceeds with a major ground operation in Rafah, the southern Gaza city home to 1.4 million refugees.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron, in an interview with the BBC, expressed his opposition to Israel's plans of an invasion in Rafah but emphasised that ceasing arms sales would "make Hamas stronger."

He claimed that the UK supplies a mere 1% of Israel's weaponry, indicating limited leverage in influencing Israeli actions.

1147 GMT — Israel reports rocket fire from Gaza as Tel Aviv expands offensive

Israel reported rocket fire from Gaza amid a deadly offensive on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said a missile launched toward the illegal settlement of Re'im near the Gaza border was intercepted.

No injuries or damage were reported.

1138 GMT — Full-scale Rafah offensive 'cannot take place': UN rights chief

A full-scale Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah "cannot take place," the UN human rights chief insisted, saying it could not be reconciled with international law.

"The latest evacuation orders affect close to a million people in Rafah. So where should they go now? There is no safe place in Gaza!" Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement.

He said a full-scale offensive could have a "catastrophic impact... including the possibility of further atrocity crimes."

1133 GMT — Israeli intervention in Gaza 'disproportionate': Greek foreign minister

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said Israeli intervention in Gaza is "disproportionate."

In an exclusive interview with Vradini Daily, Gerapetritis said: "We made it clear from the beginning that Israel has a right to self-defence within the limits of international law and especially humanitarian law.

"We made it clear that Hamas should not be identified with the Palestinian people. We asked for the immediate release of the hostages and additional protection of civilians and open humanitarian channels."

1123 GMT — Internet service cut off in southern Gaza: Palestinian telecom company

Internet service has been cut off in southern Gaza, the Palestinian telecom company Paltel said.

In a statement, the company said the service was disrupted by the ongoing Israeli offensive in the area.

"Our crews are working hard to restore the service as quickly as possible," it added.

1106 GMT — Death toll in besieged Gaza tops grim 35,000: Health Ministry

The health ministry in Gaza has said that at least 35,034 people have been killed in the territory during more than seven months of Israel's war on Gaza.

The toll includes at least 63 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 78,755 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war began.

1053 GMT — Gaza civil defence says unable to reach Jabalia camp due to intense Israeli fire

Gaza civil defence has said its teams are unable to access the Jabalia refugee camp and Gaza City, where Israel launched fresh bombings.

“The direct and deliberate Israeli targeting of civil defence crews prevents us from reaching some of the targeted places in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City," spokesman Mahmoud Basal told Anadolu.

He said the teams were unable to reach 16 members of a family who were trapped under the rubble of a house in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood.

"The Israeli army is targeting innocent civilians in the neighborhoods of Gaza and the northern Gaza Strip, most of whom are women and children,” he added.

Even rescue workers are not spared in the bombing, he said, adding that all the hospitals in northern Gaza are out of service.

0921 GMT — Israel's National Security Council official resigns: Report

Yoram Hamo, an Israeli official in charge of defence policy and strategic planning at the National Security Council, has resigned, public broadcaster KAN has reported.

Hamo resigned due to frustrations over the failure to reach political decisions regarding future actions in Gaza, KAN said.

In response, the National Security Council claimed Hamo had expressed his intention to step down several months ago, citing "personal reasons unrelated to public matters."

0908 GMT — Netanyahu makes Hitler envious with 'genocidal methods'— Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making late German dictator Adolf Hitler “jealous” with his methods of "genocide" in Gaza.

“Is it possible to look at what Israel has inflicted on the people of Gaza for months and see it as legitimate for Israel to bomb hospitals, kill children, oppress civilians, and condemn innocent people to hunger, thirst, and lack of medicine under various excuses? What did Hitler do in the past? He oppressed and killed people in concentration camps,” Erdogan told Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper in an interview.

“Wasn't Gaza turned into an open-air prison not only after Oct. 7 but also for years beforehand? Weren't the people there condemned to limited resources for years, almost like a concentration camp? Who is responsible for the most brutal and systematic mass killings in Gaza after Oct. 7?”

“Netanyahu has reached a level that would make Hitler jealous with his genocidal methods. We are talking about Israel; which targets ambulances, hits food distribution points, and opens fire on aid convoys,” he said.

0847 GMT — Israeli forces kill at least 18 Palestinians in Rafah in last 24 hours

At least 18 Palestinians were killed and six others injured within a span of 24 hours in Israeli attacks targeting the city of Rafah, southern Gaza, Wafa news agency has reported.

The bodies and injured were shifted to the Kuwaiti Hospital in the city home to 1.4 million people taking refuge from the war in Gaza.

0835 GMT — Britain's FM rejects Rafah offensive without 'clear plan' to save lives

Britain's foreign minister David Cameron has said Israel should not carry out an offensive in the Gazan city of Rafah without a "clear plan" to protect people.

"For there to be a major offensive in Rafah, there would have to be an absolutely clear plan about how you save lives, how you move people out the way, how you make sure they’re fed, you make sure that they have medicine and shelter and everything," he told Sky News television.

"We have seen no such plan … so we don't support an offensive in that way," he added.

0818 GMT — Israeli forces raid refugee camp in occupied West Bank, killing one Palestinian, injuring another

At least one Palestinian was killed and another injured by Israeli army gunfire during a raid into the Balata refugee camp in the eastern city of Nablus, occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Samer Nasser Rumana, 27, was shot dead by the Israeli forces during a raid into the camp and was moved to Rafidia Governmental Hospital.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said a 16-year-old was also injured by Israeli forces during the raid.

0652 GMT — UN chief calls for 'immediate' Gaza ceasefire, hostage release

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged an immediate halt to Israel's brutal war on Gaza, the return of hostages and a "surge" in humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian territory.

"I repeat my call, the world's call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and an immediate surge in humanitarian aid. But a ceasefire will only be the start. It will be a long road back from the devastation and trauma of this war," Guterres said in a video address to an international donors' conference in Kuwait.

0503 GMT — Israel strikes Gaza after fresh Rafah evacuation order

Israel has launched strikes on Gaza after it expanded an evacuation order for Rafah, with the United Nations warning an outright invasion of the crowded southern city risked an "epic" disaster.

Gaza's civil defence agency said two doctors were killed Sunday in the central town of Deir al Balah, while reporters reported intense clashes and heavy gunfire from Israeli helicopters near Gaza City.

Witnesses said Israel had carried out strikes in Rafah near the crossing with Egypt on Saturday, and images showed smoke rising over the city.

0239 GMT — Uncrewed aerial system launched from Yemen's Houthi area, no injuries reported, CENTCOM says,

An uncrewed aerial system was launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden on Friday, with no injuries or damage reported by US coalition, or commercial ships, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said.

CENTCOM later said it had destroyed three aerial systems launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen into the Red Sea.

0113 GMT — EU’s Borrell condemns forcing civilians into 'unsafe zones' in Gaza’s Rafah

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has denounced the practice of forcing civilians into unsafe areas in Rafah as "intolerable."

Borrell took to X to address the situation in southern Gaza, where Israel launched a ground attack.

"Forcing civilians to evacuate Rafah to unsafe zones is intolerable. Israel is bound by international law to provide safety to civilians," wrote Borrell.

"We continue to urge Israel not to go ahead w/ a ground operation in Rafah. This would further exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis.”

2350 GMT — Israeli army chief criticises Netanyahu's Gaza strategy

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for lacking a government strategy on who will govern Gaza after Tel Aviv ends its onslaught and for leading the military to reattack certain areas, according to media reports.

Halevi reportedly criticised the lack of a "day-after strategy," during a weekend security meeting.

Israel's Channel 13 reported that Halevi expressed dissatisfaction with the inability to develop and declare a strategy for governing Gaza.

2336 GMT — Israeli opposition chief Lapid vows to topple Netanyahu government

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid pledged to work toward the fall of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the return of Israeli hostages.

Addressing protesters, Lapid said Israel is in difficult days and the country needs most for Netanyahu "to be out of our lives."

"My job is to do everything so that at the right moment this power of yours will turn into political change," Lapid wrote X.

"I pledge to you, I swear to you, we will continue to work until that happens. This government will fall, this government will not last, we will send them home!" he added.

2258 GMT — France condemns Israel's ground attack on Rafah

France has condemned Israel's ground attack on Rafah, according to the Foreign Ministry.

France condemned the ground attack on May 7 and stressed that it would be a "dire situation" for the Gaza population that has been "displaced repeatedly," according to the ministry.

"There is no safe space for civilians in Gaza," it noted, calling for Israel to cease the ground attack.

The statement urged Israel to return to negotiations as the "only way" to "secure hostage release and achieve a lasting ceasefire."

2252 GMT — Yemeni students rally in solidarity with Gaza amid Israeli attacks

University students held a demonstration in northern Yemen to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, who continue to suffer from Israeli occupation and attacks, said media reports.

Hundreds gathered in the northern province of Al-Jawf to show support for Gaza amid ongoing Israeli attacks, according to Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV.

Carrying Palestinian flags, demonstrators protested against Israel's assaults. They chanted anti-Israeli slogans, expressing support for the people of Gaza.

2251 GMT — US offered intel to prevent Israeli occupation of Rafah: report

The US administration has reportedly offered defence support packages to Israel, including sensitive intelligence and military assistance related to Hamas leaders, to prevent a major attack on Rafah.

Based on unnamed US officials, the Biden administration has made new proposals to the Netanyahu administration in the last week or two not to occupy Rafah, according to a report in the Washington Post.

Israel was offered sensitive intelligence information about Hamas leaders and qualified defense elements, allowing the Israeli army "to target Hamas without a comprehensive ground attack on Rafah."

In the proposals, the US has expressed a readiness to share intelligence on the locations of Hamas leaders and tunnels with the Israeli military.

2231 GMT — Hamas calls int'l community to stop Israel's 'genocidal war'

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has accused Israel of persisting with its "genocidal war" by expanding attacks against Gaza.

In a statement after Israel expanded its ground and aerial attacks on Gaza, Hamas accused Tel Aviv of using "bombardment, massacre, displacement, and infrastructure destruction" across all areas of the enclave.

It condemned Israel's actions, stating that the increase in attacks on civilians, regardless of age or gender, are crimes, and "the responsibility for enabling Zionist fascism's crimes" lies with the US.

Hamas urged the UN and the international community to pressure Israel to cease its attacks and provide urgent protection for civilians.

2225 GMT — Hezbollah drone explodes in northern Israel: Israeli army

A Hezbollah drone exploded in the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel, Israeli Army Radio has reported.

“A drone launched by Hezbollah exploded in the Upper Galilee without causing any injuries,” it wrote on X.

Earlier, sirens sounded throughout the Galilee, fearing the infiltration of drones, according to army radio.

For our live updates from Saturday, May 11, click here.